


Reese has nothing on you

by SonicGavel



Category: Law and Order: SVU
Genre: Just like Heaven AU but not, M/M, Rafael almost gets what he did to the baby
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-03
Updated: 2018-06-06
Packaged: 2019-05-17 20:24:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14838593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SonicGavel/pseuds/SonicGavel
Summary: Amanda, Liv and Bella try to surprise Sonny with a visit from Raf after yet another disastrous dating attempt but an accident on the way to Forlini's sends Raf to the hospital, not letting Sonny know Raf was coming at all. About a week later, Sonny finds a better apartment and tries it out for a month, but is surprised to see Raf's there, non-corporial to boot. Can Raf not be stubborn towards Sonny enough for the two of them to figure out this mystery?





	1. You can't be dead

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not doing the Barisi cinema bang, I'm just doing this because of the good ideas everyone has with Barisi and the movie-themed fics. I still hope though that you enjoy it.

Sonny had been gloomy since Raf left. Blind date after blind date sucked. He sighed as on his birthday, Liv had conspired with Bella and Amanda to put together yet another blind date. It was February and snowing hard. Amanda and Bella distracted him with embarrassing things as Tommy and Declon continued to buy rounds.

"I'm gonna text the lieu, ask her what's taking so long." Amanda said as she did so. Meanwhile, Liv and Rafael were walking in the deep snow.

"Rollins is getting antsy. We better hurry." Liv said as she checked her phone.

"Are you sure I'm what Sonny needs, Liv? He might hate me for what I did." Rafael was unsure.

"Rafa, he's been miserable. Plus it's his birthday. You'd be the best gift ever." Raf sighed as she explained this. "Look-" Liv didn't get to finish her sentence as a kid running fast to make a delivery knocked into Raf's leg, making the older man lose his footing and crack his head on the sidewalk. Liv called 911 and then texted Amanda to abort the mission.

"Liv just texted, Bella? Can I see you for a minute?" Amanda asked. They walked into an inaudible corner.

"Rafael's in a coma. They were almost to Forlini's when some kid knocked him into the pavement in a rush to deliver an order." Amanda explained.

"Fuck, Amanda. What do we tell Sonny?" Bella asked.

"Just call a friend and tell them to make an emergency blind date thing." Amanda said. As she did, Amanda went to Sonny.

"Where's the Lieu?" Sonny asked.

"She couldn't make it." Amanda said. "She lost the present she wanted to give you." Amanda gave a disappointed grin as he said he could get it later and they continued to celebrate as the emergency blind date came over.  
..................................................................  
One month later  
..................................................................  
Yet another bust in the blind date thing. Sonny was done. He was at least gonna try and find a new place. Even now more than ever since his lease was running out. Surprisingly enough, the realtor was helping a nice lady with an apartment she was taking care of.

"The place is in excellent condition, you'll love every space. There's even a roof area." She said.

"You have a lovely place and I'm sometimes good with my hands when it comes to pet projects. The roof area might be good for gardening and woodwork." Sonny said.

"Oh I'm glad you have ideas already. And this isn't my place. No, this is my son's. He suddenly went under a coma last month." She said no more and all Sonny could do was offer a hand on her shoulder as she pulled out a handkerchief and blew her nose on it.

"I'm sorry about your predicament." Sonny also offered. "If there was something I could do, I'd do it for you."

"Then I insist you take this place. I'll let you keep it a month. I doubly insist." The nice lady said as she gave the nod to the realtor to let him do this. Sonny accepted this offer and moved some of his stuff into a storage garage, not wanting to disturb anything that belonged to the nice lady's son in the case he came out of the coma.  
..................................................................  
The day he moved in with his clothes, everything was normal. He turned on the TV and checked out the kitchen. He noticed the person who previously owned the apartment didn't eat a home cooked meal. He barely had anything in the apartment for food. Sonny made a mental note to go grocery shopping when he got back from work. He was trying to work the radio in the kitchen when he jumped after hearing a familiar voice.

"Hey, you better have a good explanation why you're in my apartment or I'm calling-" Rafael stopped dead in his tracks when he saw who it was when the assumed intruder turned to face him. "Carisi?" Rafael was holding a bat when Sonny turned around and faced him.

"BARBA!" Sonny ran to Raf, but fell to the floor when he lost momentum, as if Rafael was a hologram. He could've sworn he had ran to him and hugged him. He tested this and after getting up, he ran his hand over the older man's body. It was almost as if he were...a...ghost? Sonny started to cry.

"Carisi, get a grip." Rafael said as he rolled his eyes.

"You can't be dead, this would be the worst start to the new year ever. You can't be." Sonny said, now hyperventilating.

"What are you talking about, Carisi? I'm not dead." Rafael said as he felt for himself, solid as a person should be. That was how he felt until he saw in the mirror in his dining room that he was walking through the couch. What the hell happened to him?


	2. Talk me through

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonny calms down and Raf starts retracing his movements that led to him being incorporeal.

Sonny went to take a drink of water and started calming down. He began to go through the stages real quickly.

"I should be dead, I should've done a lot of things." Sonny said as he took another gulp.

"Carisi, will you cut it out? There's bound to be an explanation to this." Raf curtly cut into Sonny's soliloquy. The younger man sniffled and started pacing the room.

"Right, sorry. But you walked through the couch. Wait, you said this was your apartment? That nice lady who offered it to me for the month is your mother?" Sonny stopped in his tracks.

"You talked to my Mami?" Rafael sternly looked at Sonny with confusion. Suddenly, Bella and Tommy knocked on the door, Sonny having forgotten he was also inviting his nieces for teaparty day.

"Coming." Sonny said as he opened the door as Tommy and Bella hugged Sonny, Izzy and Ella, 5 and 4 respectively, went over to prep the table.

"We made double M&M chocolate chip peanut butter cookies, Uncle Sonny." Izzy said.

"Oh how nice." Sonny forced a smile on his face as he heard the cookies they made had peanut butter in them. He hates peanut butter, but he loves his nieces and will eat anything they make. Ella bounced around happily as she pushed a chair out each for herself, Izzy, Sonny and a fourth one, which was odd to Bella because neither she nor Tommy do Teaparty day. It's just Sonny and the girls. Even Rafael was puzzled until she pulled at his hand, urging him to the table.

"You can see me?" Rafael asked.

"Little kids can see people like you until we're 12. It was explained on an episode of Ghost Whisperer once. Mommy has a weird taste in television. Cookie?" Izzy offered as Ella ushered Sonny to sit next to Raf at the table.

"Uncle Sonny, sit here. Have two cookies." Ella said as she put them on a plate for Sonny.

"Don't eat them yet, Uncle Sonny. The tea's not ready yet. And besides, you can't forget your boa." Izzy said as she gave a frilly pink boa to Sonny and a yellow one was sprawled around the chair Ella put Raf in.

"As nice as the boa is, ladies, I don't really feel I'm the kind of person to wear this." Raf said.

"But you're a friend of Uncle Sonny's and Ella thinks you're special enough to join us for teaparty day. You HAVE to wear the boa." Izzy reasoned. Raf couldn't really argue with the logic of an under-six.

"You need to stop watching Ghost Whisperer, Bella. Ella thinks she's Jennifer Love Hewett." Tommy grumbled.

"If people like you are unable to eat, I can finish your cookie for you. Unless you're able to pick the cookie up." Izzy offered, but surprisingly enough, Raf managed to focus on the cookie and took a bite before having some of the "tea", picking the cup up as well with ease. Soon, after they were done and Sonny ate his cookies as well, they left and Sonny asked what happened.

"Liv told me I had to come to a party at Forlini's and I forgot who it was for. Liv and I were talking while walking and some delivery boy ran into my leg before everything went blank." Raf explained. "You know, you have adorable nieces, Detective."

"Thanks, Barba." Sonny smiled coyly as he went to sit on the edge of the couch. "Hmm, I had a birthday party at Forlini's last month." Sonny revelated. "Liv was supposed to come but she said she misplaced the gift. Then I ended up getting set up with this really terrible date Bells scrambled up for me."

"I'm sorry, Carisi." Raf said. Suddenly, Sonny and Raf found it to be time for bed and they found there was a problem: No sleeping arrangement and only one alarm.

"I'll take the couch, you go to bed in your room. It's still your room afterall." Sonny said.

"But my Mami will be insistent that I be a good host and you'll be here at least a month. Stay in my bed, Carisi. I'll just hang around like a ghost." Raf huffed in defeat.

"Thank you, Barba." Sonny said. He turned for the bedroom but then stopped, turning back to face Raf. "Rafael, we'll figure this out. I have faith we will, so don't worry." Sonny did his damndest to sound genuine. It worked for Raf, but he didn't want Sonny to know that.

"Go to bed, detective." Raf sighed as Sonny obeyed and got ready for and right into bed.

"Good night, Barba." Sonny said as he turned off the light and went straight to sleep. Raf lingwred around the room and watched the sleeping man.

He calmy and lowly whispered a soft, breathy "Goodnight, Detective." as he went to monitor the rest of the apartment for the rest of the night.


	3. The delivery boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boy who ran past Rafael comes in on his own to tell his side of the story.

"Hi, I'm Donavon James. I'm here to turn myself in." The young delivery boy said as he walked over to Declon's desk the next morning.

"What exactly did you do, young man?" Declon asked when he and Amanda paid attention to him.

"I'm the delivery boy. I did it, I knocked that man to the ground." Donavon lowered his head down as he started to cry. Amanda and Declon ushered him to an interrogation room while Declon called DCS and Amanda called Liv and Stone.  
..................................................................  
"I was in a rush to get home. I usually make deliveries after school for the restaurant next to the bar, Forlini's. I normally do it until 5 but there were ten orders I needed to deliver before I made my commission the owner would cut for me for the week. My mom told me to come straight home and I know it doesn't justify what I did, but she whips me with a belt if I'm late. She also sometimes makes me go to bed without dinner if I forget my manners. That night felt like God was testing me. Do I go to bed without dinner if I tell her there was an accident on the way home? Do I get whipped for being late because I had to remember my manners? When I told her what I did, I ended up late anyway so I got whipped AND I got no dinner. I'm sorry about your friend. I really am and I'll accept any punishment you hand me. Please let me do some kind of time." Donavon said as Amanda took his statement. Peter and Liv looked through the glass.

"Well he certainly is remorseful for what happened to Barba. Plus he is just a kid, I'd give him six months community service plus if his mother's abusive, I'd put in a good word with family court to have him moved to a foster home immediately." Peter said.

"Thank you for the leniency, Stone." Liv said.

"Sure thing. How's your detectice since Barba was comatose, anyway?" Peter asked.

"Carisi doesn't know yet." Liv said.

"He should find out soon. I'm pressing a motion to turn off his respirator." Peter said.

"What?" Liv said.

"A month is too long to be on a feeding tube in NY, Liv. Besides, he had it in his legal files he would want to be taken off a machine in the offchance he become comatose." Peter then showed Liv Rafael's living will.

"Hold off at least a week before you do. This could destroy Lucia let alone Sonny." Liv pleaded with Peter.

"I'll see what I can do." Peter said as Sonny came in aftet questioning witnesses.

"Oh, sorry Stone." Sonny said as he accidentally bumped into the ADA's arm.

"No, the fault belongs to me, Carisi." Peter said as he entered the elevator and Sonny went to fill Liv in on what he'd learned. Liv was fast to hide the sadness in her eyes as he came over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little break from Raf and Sonny being together. No one needs to know about Raf in the apartment yet.


	4. A reluctant and pro bono medium

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonny bumps into a reluctant medium who offers free services and Sonny finds out Raf's been comatose the whole time just as Peter comes to serve the motion.

When his shift ended, Sonny was on his way out when a woman bumped into him.

"Oh, sorry. A woman was chasing me, wanting me to help her with her unfinished business." The woman said.

"I don't see anyone." Sonny observed.

"Well that's why I said unfinished business. I'm Annmarie, I'm a reluctant medium." She explained.

"Medium, you say. I think I need your help." Sonny said as he took Annmarie's hand and ran with her to the apartment, hoping to get groceries later. When he and Annmarie got there, Raf was on the couch before he heard the door unlock.

"Carisi?" He called out as Sonny came through the door with Annmarie.

"Hey, Counsellor. This is Annmarie. She's a medium and I'm testing to see if she can see you." Sonny said as he led her into the living room.

"Of course I can. He's standing in front of your couch. He's very solid looking, which means he isn't that far gone. In fact, something must be tethering him to the Earthly plain." Annmarie said. "Like family holding onto hope or he might not really be dead." Sonny fell to the floor in relief.

"You really think that?" Raf asked.

"If you'd like, I'd probably recommend you check the hospital." She went home shortly after and the next day, Sonny started the search with Raf coming with. They tried every hospital in NY until they spotted Amanda and Liv greeting Lucia and taking her hand to pull her somewhere. Curious, they decided to follow.

They went to a hospital and as Liv, Amanda and Lucia went up, Sonny asked the receptionist where they went.

"Room 1070, on the tenth floor." She said as Sonny thanked her and went up the elevator. Sonny froze when he got off the elevator when Liv talked to the unmistakable face in the comatose state.

"Hey, Rafa. The delivery boy who knocked you down turned himself in yesterday. Peter's fighting for leniency though, the kid's been through the ringer." Liv said.

"I brought you your favorite coffee, Barba. In case you wake up." Amanda teased softly, Raf walked in and saw this was no dream and he was in fact, comatose.

"Rafi, a man is taking good care of your apartment as I talk to you. You'd like him." Lucia said as Peter came in all of a sudden to break the thing.

"Liv, Amanda. Señiora Barba, I'm glad to have caught you. My name is ADA Peter Stone. I replaced your son as ADA after he ended that baby's suffering." He temporarily bowed his head before looking to Liv. "I tried for a bit more leywat, Liv. But O'Dwyer pushed for the motion to go through." He then looked back to Lucia. "Señiora, I have a motion to turn off your son's respirator at the end of the week. He wouldn't want to suffer when he was alive." Peter could feel Liv aiming daggers at him with her eyes. "I felt as you are his last living family member, you could sign away to take him off life support.

"Mami, don't do this" Raf begged.

"Well, Mr. Stone. I'm sorry to disappoint but I'm not signing anything. Unless my Rafi's been declared clinically brain dead by doctors, he's still in there and I can feel his presence even as I tell you off." Lucia said as Peter fell back in a chair.

"Very well, you have the rest of the week. Sunday, my boss'll be coming over to pull the plug." Peter got up and as he turned to leave, he saw Sonny. "So you finally told Carisi." He said as he walked out.

"Sonny! What are you doing here?" Amanda said 

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Sonny said as Rafael followed, Lucia tapping her foot at him. She was suspicious.  
................................................................  
Back at the apartment, Raf and Sonny were on the roof.

"My life reduced to a feeding tube. I could've done so much more. Now it'll be thrown away on Sunday. I didn't even get to do what I wanted with this roof. I wanted to have a fire pit, maybe a patio futon I could snuggle on with someone while roasting marshmallows, perhaps a small garden on my left of the pit, a gazebo on a smaller corner where I could propose to the man or woman I'd someday marry." Sonny was taken aback by the new side he was seeing to Rafael. Gentle, whimsical, dare he say even soft. "I didn't come back a few times because I thought you hated me for what I did. I saw you're not a lawyer, maybe it's because of what I did." Rafael breathed deeply as he emotionally berated himself. Sonny wished he could hold him. Instead, he just consoled him the only way he could.

"Hey, it'll be okay. We'll work this out. I promise." He cooed as he reached out to feel Rafael.

"You're a good person...Sonny." Rafael cooed back as they shared this tender moment the rest of the night.


	5. Obvious confessions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucia gets to the bottom of Sonny's sneaking around the day before.
> 
> (It'll be way different from when Mark Ruffalo tells Reese Witherspoon's sister as Lucia is a mother and knows when a son is telling the truth or lying.)

The next morning, Lucia paid Sonny a visit.

"I'm surprised you haven't moved everything in yet." Lucia said.

"If your son-Rafael, makes it, I figured he'd want it back." Sonny said. "Besides, these are all the clothes I have."

"So you believe my Rafi will pull through? Of course, it takes a miracle. But it also takes a person to help make that miracle happen." Lucia sighed as she once again felt her son's presence once she picked up a pic of her and Raf after he graduated Harvard.

"Hola, Mami." Rafael quietly whispered and she smiled before lightly frowning and turning to face Sonny.

"Dominick, is there something you're hiding?" Lucia asked. Sonny gulped.

"If I tell you, will you believe me?" He tested.

"I'm a mother, we're basically human lie detectors. Test me." She reasoned.

"I've been pining over your son since I joined SVU but I never got to tell him and now I coincidentally am trying out his apartment." Sonny said, Raf shocked as he remembered it was Sonny's birthday he was going to Forlini's for that night.

"You could've told me that last night when I confessed that I felt I fucked things up with you." Raf grumbled as Sonny licked his lips.

"You tell the truth." Lucia said, Sonny sighed in relief. "But you hide another thing. Spill!" She demanded.

"Rafael's spirit is in the apartment and he doesn't want you to sign the papers and he also wants to continue to fight O'Dwyer on turning his life support off." Sonny said quickly.

"Now was that so hard?" Lucia asked. Sonny's jaw just about dropped to the floor.

"You believe me?" Sonny asked, still confused.

"I told you, mothers are human lie detectors. What, were you expecting me to think you were crazy?" Lucia deadpanned. Sonny totally knew where Rafael got that from. "So how are you gonna save my son? I mean Rafi's a fighter, but he can't fight for much longer."

Sonny knew she was right and he had to put together a plan.

"I got a couple friends I can get together. But it'll have to be tomorrow." Sonny said as Lucia let him get ready by going home. He then called Tommy, Bella, Liv, Amanda and Declon.

Tommy and Bella got a sitter fast and Liv and Amanda were already leaving Noah and Jessie with Lucy. They got to the apartment fast and Sonny told of his plan.  
..........................................................  
I'm sorry, you're gonna do WHAT?" Amanda asked.

"I want to try and extract Raf out of the hospital on Sunday." Sonny said.

"I want to save Rafa as much as the next person, Sonny. But we're in a bind." Liv said.

"I have a van a buddy can lend me." Tommy said.

"TOMMY NO!" Bella chastized.

"I'll drive." Declon said.

"No." Amanda scolded. "You'll lose your badge."

"And you already have problems with your parole officers." Bella dug into Tommy. Liv broke down though, already having lost Raf once. She wanted to keep him longer. Amanda and Bella were outvoted and they made the decision to pretend to be candystripers while Liv distracted the two lawyers. When everyone, Raf laid next to Sonny on the bed thinking about what had been learned this afternoon.

"How long have you wanted me?" Raf asked.

"Since we first met." Sonny said. Rafael blushed.

"I was going to your party that night, at Forlini's. I was hesitant though. I thought you wouldn't want to see me again." Raf said as he intertwined his fingers on Sonny.

"Well now you know that's far from the truth." Sonny took his other hand and stroked Raf's face. No sooner had he done that did Raf climb over him and begin to feel the younger man's body.

"Remember that one scene in Ghostbusters?" Sonny asked for a little levity. Raf did giggle, but went back to seriousness fast. Sonny then helped Raf as he attempted to undress him. Once he was naked, Raf took in each part of him.

"You're beautiful." Raf said as Sonny trembled under Rafael's gaze. Suddenly, Raf was able to focus his touch on Sonny, just like he'd done with the cookie days before. Sonny gasped as Raf touched him everywhere and kissed his shoulder. "If I don't make it, I'll at least have this night with you." Rafael breathed as he took the younger man's mouth with his before lying him on the bed and feeling him everywhere else. Sonny could climax on just Raf's touch alone if he could have just this.

"Rafael." Sonny gasped as he finally orgasmed. Raf stopped and kissed Sonny one more time before Sonny got up to clean himself and eventually redress and go to sleep, Raf watching him sleep as he wouldn't be able to sleep anyway considering his ghostly state.


End file.
